Friday!

Thanks for all the fun comments! And congrats to Jeraluna! Send your address to gaea@gaea.cc and I'll send you a gift! Have a great weekend!

We should all be the queen's of our castle...

And what an amazing castle it is...In 5th grade I discovered in our school library, a book that would tempt me to almost, kind of , think about possibly not returning a borrowed book... on time... Colleen Moore's Doll house was too good not to own. I would love to see it in person and it is on permanent display at The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. This elaborate miniature house was created by silent film star Colleen Moore in the 1930s, and was donated to the Museum of Science and Industry in 1949. I remember turning page after page and being absolutely beside-my-self-in-love with every picture. The museums web site has a tour with great descriptions and lovely photos. Working fireplaces and 100 year old crystal gobbles! It was renamed the Fairy Castle, a more grand name, but it will always be a "doll house" to me. More mini things to come...

Super, Mega, Amazing!

Some of the best things in life are free. Some are big and some are very, very tiny. I had a great uncle who did a scaled down version of a royal carriage and I can remember spending what seems like hours with my nose pressed up against the glass case it was housed in, gazing at it from every angle, but nothing compares to the amazingly beautiful doll art of Marina Bychkova it is, well, amazing. A feat of patience and detail. They are mesmerizing. Some are nude and some have the most intricately decorated clothing. I could spend hours looking at her well designed site. If at the end you are not amazed... check your self for a pulse my friend! Check yourself for a pulse! More on SUPER, MEGA, AMAZING tiny things, tomorrow!

Let them eat...

I really don't think I could do it! These are just amazing! The cakes of Scott Clark Woolley are works of art and I don't think I could just chomp on in.... His website has some amazing examples of sugar flowers. It looks like so much fun! I wonder if they taste good too? No really I coul.... um, yah... I could!

Hello... Ventura!

It was the first time the kids got to to see Dad play with the band! Actually it was my first time too. It was an intimate group and, actually, there were quite a few toddlers! I'm guessing because of the early show it was perfect for those of us who are night life challenged. I was worried that we'd be the only ones with a possible screaming 2 year old. Luckily we weren't and there was no screaming from the kids, only the band. They did a few cover songs from Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" to The Stone's "Get off of my Cloud" to Tom Jone's "She's A Lady"! Apparently it got quite crowded as the night went on but we had bath and bead time to deal with! Rock on!



Since I skipped "Giveaway Monday" we will have to have "Giveaway Tuesday"! Tell us your favorite concert experience or your FANTASY concert experience... I'll post a winner Friday!

Scenic Route

Here is my loot from the bead faire! I love the "Dragon Scales"

In an attempt to not get anything done (ie: house work) I spent much of Saturday making tiny chain link with these beautiful red frosted seed beads. I've been wanting to play with the lantern pendants and the letter stamping set I got a few days ago. Lorelei had blogged about a set and I couldn't pass it up! I am on the look out for other stamping tools too, so if any one out there knows of any...



We had many errands to do so I did much of the chain in the car on our way to the hardware store for more wire and sheets of copper which is very expensive I might add! Over $1.50 for a linear inch! The brass was $1 an inch but still pricey. Luckily I only need a little to start with. A few buck to play the day away! Then we were off to Target! Our home away from home. Cheap towel and laundry soap! Next stop... returns at Ross. Luckily we ran into Caitriona and her boys so the wait in line was fun instead of the hideously slow and painful experience it normally is. Then we had lunch with Grandma Sandra and hit Trader Joes. Our friend Myles lives in Colorado and (I don't know how he is still living there!!!) they have NO TRADER JOES!!! AHHHH! We will have to send him care packages! Then a bit of last minute shoe shopping and a quick purchase of cords for Robert's guitar. Oh! Reserection will be playing tonight at Bernardettes if anyone is in the Ventura area! Whew! It all get's piled up when you are barricaded in the house with lots of work!

I'm shopping as fast as I can!!!

The weather has been so strange this week! Last weekend it was in the 100's and now, a week later, literally HALF that! And raining! What's the deal?! Not that I'm not loving this cafe latte weather, but you seem to get sick easier when it's like this. We almost had to turn back home only a few miles into our trek to Santa Barbara because it was raining so hard we couldn't see the road. Then two minutes later only a drizzle. Koo Koo! We made our way to the Gem Faire where I was dropped off at the door and Robert took the kids for two hours! Yay for me! Of course when there is so much to see you tend to panic and make purchases that are not wise for fear of going all that way and coming home empty handed. I did manage to find what I was really wanting... lots and lots of garnet! There was some beautiful ruby beads (I almost spent $50 on a handsome strand!) but thought it unwise! Today was a wholesale day so the crowd was really light and I wizzed through pretty fast. I think I panicked in the last 10 minutes and bought some jade that I normally wouldn't have. There were also many empty stalls because Saturday and Sunday seem to be the main days. Oh well... Still a nice drive and time with the kids.

Friday!

Thanks all for leaving comment on the "box" blog entry! And congrats to Joelle! I'll be sending her a special treat this week! I was a little cheeky but for good reason... Announcing... Tickle Pickle! A sassy, sexy and erotic line of jewelry using our LoveBeads! I'll have more to post on that in a few days. I can't keep a secret! So here is a tease...

Why don't I ever see these things coming!

I have been rolling around the idea of a more expanded jewelry line for kids and have some fun ideas and even thought I had a cute name all worked out. We were playing tickle with our girl and playing raspberry and getting the best laughs and giggles from her and I was throwing out little phrases like "sugar bugger" to get an even bigger laugh and then threw out "tickle pickle" and thought! Too cute! A jewelry line for kids called "Tickle Pickle"! So I threw that out at Robert to get his input ... you should have seen the look on his face! "Uh... don't you think that's a bit risque, for kids?".... Risque? I was slow on the uptake! I guess it is good to have a man around to ruin your cute fun with sexual innuendo! Seriously?! So I google it and um, well.. yes, it does exesit in a sexual way "tickle his pickle" WHAT EVER!!! It is still cute, so I'll be using it in another way... tune in tomorrow to see how! So the kids line may be called "Noli Mae" for our girl.

More out of the box...

I've been working on some new pendants inspired Greek mythology. Pandora's Box pendant actually looks like a box. I was afraid the perspective wouldn't translate into a flat piece. I'm just itching to put all the pieces together into one necklace. Not enough hours in the day!

I've had another project on the back burner for ages. Dear friend Jen is a most patient gal. I'd promised her a gift ages ago. She loved the rose beads and I've been rolling them around in my head and just couldn't come ups with a rose design that was her. I've also had these garnets for ages and LOVE the way the dark red and black go together so this is what worked it's way out of my head.... I hope she likes it. Shhhh it's a surprise!

Did you know...

what we found, in of all places, Target!? A great magazine! Mental_Floss! Full of fun facts and trivia! I think I know what everyone is getting next X-mas! In fact their on-line store may just have everything I would ever need for the holidays from here on out! Take the "Amazing Fact Generator" out for a spin! Too much fun! Enough Geeky T's to last a life time! I'm in geek heaven!

Giveaway Monday! How do you play with your box?

Spring and Summer are great times for out door flea markets and craft fairs. I enjoy a day out with my goodies but I don't always enjoy transporting them from the studio to the venue and display set up. I worry about items breaking or getting lost. Many of the craft shows are on uneven grass or dirt. Which can be challenging for set up and display. Earrings in particular are a challenge. You want them to be seen but don't want them to get lost if they fall into grass or dirt. I've come up with a few cute ideas that can be customized to fit your style. I am a huge fan of taking something using it in and unexpected way. For years I've collected and painted cigar boxes they are so handy to have around and hold so many things. They stack well and sometimes are really beautiful with out any work at all. I've adapted a few to display and sell jewelry from with not much work at all... even decorating them with my own pendants or beads and nails and charms.

A basic cigar box by day...



A jewelry display by day too...



Fancified cigar box...



a fun mess...



What fun ways do you display jewelry? Let the world know and I'll send you some thing to clutter up your studio! Leave comment by this Thursday and I'll post a winner Friday! I've had a naughty jewelry idea for some time... check back to hear more later!

Drum roll please....

And the winner is...

Bunny B! Please send an email to gaea@gaea.cc with your address! Enjoy!

Come back next Monday for another round of Giveaway Monday!!!

Help!

If you live in California and have children of school age, you may be aware that there is a HUGE budget crisis for our public schools. Our tiny community of Ojai has had a declining enrollment over the last several years and we may be forced to close schools. The problem with this is the open schools will have to take on extra students which will mean a greater student to teacher ratio and less attention to the individual. From what I saw at the town hall meeting last week they will be forced to cut many other important programs like hot lunches, P.E., busses, and most hugely schools! I am hopeful that we will not have to make such cuts and that everyone will pitch in and help. If you can donate, it would be greatly appreciated http://www.ojaief.org/

We as parents had many questions one big one was "What about the lottery money?" Well... fancy we should ask... turns out it was a bait and switch by the state! You can have lottery money but we are taking away these fund over here... A total sham! What next?!

Giveaway Monday! Tips, tricks & techniques

I was thinking about all the fun new techniques I've been learning, hammered copper, new patinas, working with seed beads and what fun it is to learn something new. What new tips, tricks or techniques have you learned? Leave a comment to share your favorite trick, tip or technique and I'll pick a name to send a few bead and pendant goodies! Enter before Wednesday the 14th and I'll post a winner on the blog Thursday!

Crusty Copper Creations

This is the copper wire that has the green patina. It was a bit goobery so I rinsed off one of the pieces before adding a clear coat. I think I let them sit too long, thus the excess boogery green. After letting it dry I sprayed a clear coat to keep the green patina from wearing off. It was so much fun playing chemist with the copper wire. I found some of the instructions from the newton.com website. I'm thinking a mermaid necklace with aged green copper wire, awesome charms from PatinaQueen and seed beads would be divine! Happy Mothers Day!

Congratulations!!! It's a....

Package! A delivered package. After literally HOURS of phone calls and claims filed and much frustration.... THE PACKAGE WAS DELIVERED!!! I spent less time delivering my two babies! Sheeesh! So the package made it and my customer loves her goodies! They were a special order and special gift for her cousins wedding. The bride and groom's initials inside a heart were stamped on the back of some of the Day of the Dead Pendants! Very cute. I wish I could be there for the reveal! She had spent a lot of time considering what colors and styles her cousin and guests would like and It would have been sad to see all the thought and good intentions go down in flames because I can't type in 5 numbers correctly. So just FYI... double check that zip code! Lesson learned.

Out of the box

Thanks for leaving your stories and comments! I love participation and response! I am super duper excited about the new pendants I'm working on for the May firing. The final necklaces will have charms hanging from the bottom. Check back to see what kind of mischief spills out of Pandora's boxes!

And the winners are...

Everyone! Thanks Lorelei, Carlene and White Iris Designs for leaving your comments! Send and email to gaea@gaea.cc with your address and I'll send a few goodies out ASAP! I just hate leaving anyone out! Enjoy!

Come back next Monday for another "Giveaway Monday" event!

Giveaway Monday!

This weekend was Ojai's "Village Of Tales" a really great event for kids of all ages. While Robert was at band practice I took the kids to have a scoop of ice cream and hear some stories under the trees. I like to tell tales with jewelry... what is your favorite "Tale"? Leave a comment with your favorite tale and I'll pick one or two names to send a few bead and pendant goodies! Enter before Wednesday the 7th and I'll post a winner on the blog Thursday! Come and join the "Jewelry With A Story" flikr group!

Ring of fire...

The blue was electric. The green is... mostly dark brown with some gobs of green like bugger substance clinging in a yuckish way. Hmmm. Maybe I let it sit too long? More experiments are needed!



I redid the "Big Bang" necklace. The new blue beads seem to capture the look of the sky at night. Not so carnival unchic! I did notice the moon up in the morning yesterday and it is so beautiful to see a crescent moon early in a light blue sky!

I am circling back around to bead making time. Unfortunately I have some unfinished business from the last bead firing. I would like to think that I am perfect (at least at taking and processing bead orders!) But, alas, tis not true. I had a custom order in the last firing that, because it was custom, did not have any duplicates made. This lovely customer had ordered in plenty of time for a special event. It was even mailed out in a more than reasonable amount of time. So when I got an email inquiring of the status (thankfully I sent it with tracking info!) it showed that her package had been "missent" (a word the post office invented! YAYYY!) to another city (strange?) and upon further calls and investigating, was found to be on its way back to the city it was mailed to. After a few more days of waiting and updates from the tracking number it was still at the P.O. Hmmmm..... And a few more days and it still being at the same location and not being delivered, we are now both franticly calling post offices and hot lines and begging who ever will listen (not many people will!)... PLEASE! THIS PACKAGE IS STUCK IN AN ENDLESS LOOP OF SCANNING AND NOT DELIVERING!!! SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE HELP US!!! Turns out I mistyped her zip code and thus sent her package on a two week wild ride, one that is continuing as I type this. So... I am now making the items over for my lovely customer. She was ever so adamant that I not make them again. I had to break the cycle of denial. The package is lost. I will move on to more constructive actions. Sucks being imperfect. It is awesome that my customer has not driven the 90 miles to kick me in the bahookie!